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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
My digital bookmark has just left HIPSTER DEATH RATTLE by Richie Narvaez. It's a very funny book, with lots of great one-liners. "The man turned to look at Magaly, giving one of those lifeless stares you get from ex-cons, killers, and video gamers."
Narvaez also has a real talent for description. The streets of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood come alive in its mix of summer heat, hipsters moving into brand-new high-rises, and the old guard of Latins, Italians and Poles struggling to stay in place.
Every character, even those who are about to get murdered by the slasher who is haunting the streets, gets enough detail and characterization to make you care. Narvaez really knows his people and his neighborhood.
The only problem is with the plotting. There are so many plot threads, some of them unnecessary, that the ending gets bogged down with resolving each one of them.
Admittedly I did read a digital ARC, so I'm giving Narvaez a pass for the many typos in this version. I hope that his publisher does a better job with the final version.
Narvaez also has a real talent for description. The streets of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood come alive in its mix of summer heat, hipsters moving into brand-new high-rises, and the old guard of Latins, Italians and Poles struggling to stay in place.
Every character, even those who are about to get murdered by the slasher who is haunting the streets, gets enough detail and characterization to make you care. Narvaez really knows his people and his neighborhood.
The only problem is with the plotting. There are so many plot threads, some of them unnecessary, that the ending gets bogged down with resolving each one of them.
Admittedly I did read a digital ARC, so I'm giving Narvaez a pass for the many typos in this version. I hope that his publisher does a better job with the final version.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hipsters in New York are in danger. Drinking that $6 matcha latte on the street means you run the risk of being taken out by a masked assailant. But who is the real villain, the murderer or the property developers who are raising rents and demolishing old neighbourhood haunts?
I really enjoyed this, it works as a noir crime novel, and as a relevant social commentary on gentrification. It feels that the author had the most fun writing the hipster death sequences though, to the extent that it will make you look around to check you are safe before you eat that rainbow cronut!
I really enjoyed this, it works as a noir crime novel, and as a relevant social commentary on gentrification. It feels that the author had the most fun writing the hipster death sequences though, to the extent that it will make you look around to check you are safe before you eat that rainbow cronut!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a little trouble following all of the POV changes, but I also liked the amount of POVs we got so!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Started great, was fun, with interesting and exciting writing and then it started to get on my nerves, but I kept reading and then it began to feel waaaay more convoluted than necessary and I had to just abandon ship even though I was so close to the end.
I've become more familiar with north Brooklyn the last couple of months and boy, does Richie Narvaez know ever corner and haunt. A delightful skewering of hipster culture set right in the middle of Williamsburg, Gentrification's Ground Zero, the book is as much a satire as it is a mystery. Some of the moments were really funny and while I wasn't quite sure what Narvaez was doing with all the pieces, he made them fit by the end in a satisfying way. Its characters are a little thin, even for satire and it doesn't need as many red herrings as it has. But it's a good effort and I hope Narvaez writes more full-length novels.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Racism
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Mini review: I absolutely LOVE Noir. I grew up reading and watching bc my Pop was also a huge Noir fan. Authors like Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, to films like The Maltese Falcon (Humphrey Bogart š). I even took a Noir class in college and all we read was Noir books. SO! A modern day sardonic Noir, that takes place in BROOKLYN, and Hipsters are being murdered by a slasher with a machete?! Iām in! This was absolutely so much fun to read. This reminded me of all those Noir classics but with a modern take and a conversation around gentrification. Thoroughly enjoyed!
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No